Improvement in machines for filling meat-cans



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. J. BRYANT. Machine f0r Fil1ing Meat-Cans.

No. 214,!00. Patented April 8, 1879.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. O. J. BRYANT.

Machine for Filling Meat-Cans.

No. 214,100. Patented April 8, 1879 HI'HH'I lllllllllllllllllllllf mmmmmi N -mln Hamil W1 tneye; I mxenlar UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. BRYANT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HISRIGHT TO GEORGE D. GAPEN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR FILLING MEAT-CANS.

. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,100, dated April8, 1879; application filed October 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES JACKSON' BRYANT, of the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Machines for Filling Meat-Cans and other Vessels, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My machine has an adjustable table for supporting the can and a funnelor hopper to contain the meat which is forced into the can by avertically-reeiproeating plunger, which is arranged to descend a lessdistance at each stroke, so as to fill the meat solid into all parts ofthe can.

My invention consists in certain mechanism for imparting to the plungera variable movement.

My invention also consists in the device for supporting and lifting thefunnel, and in the construction of the funnel to allow its applicationto cans of different sizes, and to keep the head channel clean and allowthe escape of air from the can, as set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 isa front elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at a: as, Fig. 2. Fig.4 is an axial section of the funne A is the bedplate. 13 is a strongpost or upright secured to the bed-plate. O and D are pillow-blocksgiving bearing to the main shaft E. This shaft E is driven by a beltupon a tight pulley, E, beside which is a loose pulley, E to receive thebelt when the belt is runningand the machine at rest. G is abalancewheel or disk or crank arm upon the shaft E, upon which is awrist pin H, made adjustable in a radial slot, g, of the disk G, so asto enable the wrist-pin to be set at a greater or less distance from thecenter of the disk, to increase or diminish the throw of the pitman I,whose lower end is strapped to the wrist-pin H, and whose upper end isstrapped to a wrist-pin, J, upon the verticallyreciproeating frame K. l

L is a-bearing, in which works the rod m of the plunger M. The plungerhas a removable head, m, so the head may be adjusted properly in sizewith the mouth of the can or other vessel being filled. The plunger hasa cog-rack, m which is engaged by a spur- 'wheel, N, upon a shaft, N,turning in bearings O O, and carrying a screwgear wheel, 1?. Thisserewgear wheel turns loose upon the shaft N, except when securedthereto by a clutch, Q, connected by a feather key with the shaft N. Theclutch is operated by a lever, Q.

R is a gear-screw turning in bearings R upon the cross-head, and throughitpasses axially a prismatic shaft, S, supported in bearin gs S, androtated by miterwheels T T. The miter wheel T is upon a shaft, U,carrying a cone-pulley, U, that carries abelt which also passes aroundthe pulley V upon a countershaft, V. The counter shaft V has upon ittight and loose pulleys, V V, connected by beltV with a pulley, E uponthe main shaftE.

W is a stand or post firmly fixed to the bed-plate A, and made intubular form to receive axially in its upper end a cylindrical rod, X,extending down from the table X which is vertically adjustable therein,and held in position by a setscrew, X, so as to hold the table X at theproper height to suit the can Y to the other parts of the machine.

Z is the hopper of the funnel. This is supplied with a removable nozzle,2, which screws into its lower end. The nozzles z are made of varioussizes to suit them to the size -of the mouth of the cans. The nozzle hasupon it a horizontal flange, a, which extends over the top of the can,and has beneath it an annular rubber packing, b, which enters the topcrease or channel of the can, surrounding the mouth. 0 c are air holesin the flange (1, inside the packing b, to allow the escape of air fromthe can when the meat enters it, the nozzle being somewhat smaller thanthe mouth of the can.

The funnel is attached to the top of a pitman, d, by bracket-frame c,which works vertically on aguide-standard, f, attached to the table X.The lowerend of the pitman d is connected to the inner end of atreadle-lever, h, fulerumed at h, so that when the outer end of thetreadle is depressed the funnel is lifted from the can,

and the can can be removed and another one put in its place. The pitmand is made adjnstable in length.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The can is put in place uponthe table X, (proper guides being used to fix its position,) then thefoot is removed from the treadle h, and the funnel descends upon thecan, the rubber packing b entering the channel in the top of the can,surrounding the mouth. The packing it prevents the entrance of meat intothe channel and dispenses with the labor of cleaning it out to enablethe application of the lid.

The cross-head in its reciprocation causes the plunger at first todescend nearly to the bottom of the can in its first stroke, and at thenext stroke does not descend quite so low, and so on until the can isfilled. This variable descent of the plunger is accomplished by theplunger being gradually raised relatively to the reciprocating frame Kby the spur-wheel N acting on the rack m, the spurwheel having rotationfrom the screw-gear P R, shaft 8, miter-gears T T, pulleys U V V E, andconnecting-belts. When it may be desired to stop the gradual rise of theplunger relatively to the cross-head, the belt is shifted onto the loosepulley V and then the plunger will continue to descend to the same pointuntil the belt is again shifted onto the tight pulley and the screw orworm-gear again put in motion.

During the reciprocation of the frame K the gear-screw works freely upand down on the prismatic shafts. Said shaft maybe round, if preferred,and have feather-key communication with the gear-screw.

After a can has been filled and an empty one put in its place, theclutch Q is disconnected, so as to allow the plunger M by its weight todescend again to its lower position relatively to the cross-head. Thenthe proper quantity of meat is put into the funnel, and the filling ofthe can proceeds.

It will be understood that the plunger M passes through the mass of meatin the funnel and carries down a portion into the can at each descent.i.

When a small-sized can is to be filled the wristpin H is placed nearerthecenter of the disk or balance-wheel G, and the stroke of the plungerwill be thereby shortened. The descent of the plunger being checked, thetable X will raise the can the intervening distance. This is alsoprovided for by making the table adjustable in height by the describedor other means.

As an obvious modification of the machine, I would say that the gradualdescent of the table in place of the gradual ascent of the plunger(relatively to the head) would accomplish the same result-name1y, thegradual decrease of descent of the plunger into the can as the fillingproceeds.

The end of the plunger is preferably made concave in form to give abetter hold of the material, and to tend to draw it (the material)inward from the sides of the mouth in the finishing-stroke of theplunger.

At the top of the rack m is projection m, to limit the descent of theplunger by impingement against the reciprocating frame K. Thisprojection is preferably cushioned with rubber, to ease the blow.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of reciprocating plunger M,funnel Z, having removable nozzle z, horizontal flange a, annular rubberpacking b, and air-holes c, and the table X substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the reciprocating frame K and plunger M, of therack m and wheel N, shaft N, gear-screw andscrew-gear wheel R and P, andshaft S, turning in fixed bearings, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. The combination of disk or crank arm G with adjustable wrist-pin H,pitman I, frame K, plunger M, and adjustable table X, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. The funnel Z, with removable nozzle z, having flange a, rubberpacking b, and airholes a, for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES J. BRYANT.

Witnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, Gno. H. KNIGHT.

